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News
Aussie
Casino King James Packer, Shane Warne And Michael
Clarke Have A Feed And Chat At Crown Casino, by Greg
Tingle - 27th December 2010
Warnie
made one of his first public appearances since the
Liz Hurley affair in the UK, playing host to his Shane
Warne Foundation's annual Boxing Day breakfast at
Packer's Crown Casino. JP attended with wife Erica
in support of the event, which raises considerable
financials for children who are unwell. Cricket greats
Michael Clarke and Phil Hughes also attended in for
a spot of breaky before heading to the Melbourne Cricket
Group, where they ended up getting analysed in possibly
Australia's worse performance in The Ashes Cricket
series in 100 years! Performing artist Leo Sayer pumped
out a few great numbers to keep the punters entertained.
News
Casino
Ex Boss to Sue for $1 Million Plus, by Greg Tingle
- 7th November 2010
G'day
punters, casino and media millionaires and billionaires,
poker high rollers, politicians and one and all. You've
waited patiently for some serious and colourful news
relating to Crown Casino for months now, and finally,
here it is in all is non spin glory. Media Man and
Gambling911 deliver Crown Casino hardcore news...
At
Crown Casino they don't like to discuss sackings,
which is fair enough. We like to focus on positive,
not negative, when possible, but folks, this is big
news.
The
sacked Crown Casino chief executive officer David
Courtney is now suing his former employer for refusing
to honour provisions in his fat $1.25 million contract.
Courtney's
position was terminated last month, following a company
"restructure" that the James 'Casino King'
Packer casino claimed was part of Crown's continuing
strategy to reduce overheads. Some saw it as "trimming
the fat", and "culling fat cats", but
no one will go on record with those descriptions.
Funny that.
Documents
filed in Victoria's Supreme Court just this week demonstrate
that while the company was within its rights to terminate
his 5-year contract on a year's written notice, if
it did so Courtney could receive his remaining pay
over 24 months or less, much like a monthly salary.
You know, horses for courses, but its hard to keep
all of the people happy, all of the time.
The
fascinating legal writ claims the company is now refusing
to honour this clause, which he argues is a breach
of the employment agreement he signed back in 2007.
The
contract includes cash salary, superannuation contributions,
cars and other goodies and benefits. The writ states
Courtney is suing for damages, interest, costs and
"such further or other relief as the court considers
just".
Media
Man, Gambling911 and much of the media and gaming
community is hopeful that the differences can be settled
amicably.
Wrap
Up...
Readers...
er, punters, how did you like our hard core Crown
Casino report? Tell us in the forum. If you have a
bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for
God's sake, have fun.
*Greg
Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*The
writer owns shares in Crown Limited
News
Crown
Casino VS Star City Friendly War, by Greg Tingle -
27th May 2010
The
casino and overall gaming industry in the Asia Pacific
- Australian region remains as competitive as ever,
with Crown Casino, Star City and Jupiters Hotel and
Casino all enjoying expensive upgrades, some into
the multi million range. To top it off, another proposed
development, Jewel Casino, is earmarked for regional
Victoria. This update comes in the week that the Australian
Productivity Commission released its long awaited
report into gaming and gambling. Media Man and Gambling911
take you to the battle zone, narrowing avoiding a
dash of friendly fire...
Media
and gaming buzz.... mergers, takeovers, acquisitions.
How much is just talk and much is real? Speculation
is a plenty.
Tabcorp
and arguable its main prize, Star City in Sydney,
has been the talk of takeovers for about a decade.
In fact the late, great, Kerry Packer, Australia's
first (legal) casino king, is understood to have stopped
a young James (Packer) scooping it up in the early
2000s ... think circa 2003.
Insiders
still see a Crown (and other co) takeover on the cards,
but its unlikely to happen for a few more years.
Tabcorp
is understood to send a release to the Australian
Securities Exchange (former Australian Stock Exchange)
noting rumours for a 7% jump in its shares.
Texas
Pacific Group is touted as being a prime funding partner
in any deal, due in part to its gaming - gambling
sector smarts and know how thank to its ownership
of the Harrah's Entertainment casino "super whale".
There
are however too many complications for a deal to occur
overnight, this week, or even this year, unless a
miracle happens (which Packer is capable based upon
recent stunning performances).
The
group is starting a $350 million, give or take another
100 or 200 mil, redevelopment of Star. ROI, "earnings
uplift" and other bean counter elements won't
be clear for a few years, say the experts.
Also,
keep in mind the X factor - Tabcorp's Victorian wagering
licence, due to expire in 2012.
Packer's
Crown aka 'World Of Entertainment' has its hands full
between renovations, some tied to GenerationOne job
development, and Melco Crown - City Of Dreams business,
fighting it out for its share of "dolphins"
and "whales" aka High Rollers. Unfortunately,
just a normal catch of tuna, plankton and algae are
not going to pay the bills. The business model factors
in a certain number of "whales" and "super
whales", and Team Packer is keen to see theme
not drift off course to other potential competitors
in the Philippines, downtown Mandalay Bay.
Melbourne
and Sin City Sydney chit chat is suggesting that certain
financial analysts advise Crown has put on ice its
corporate development team, a move that "proves"
that major acquisitions are not on the cards for multiple
years.
Tabcorp
comes at a heavy price, and a ocean liner full of
debt. Think debt funding running into $1 or $2 billion,
as a round figure estimate. Yep, these are big boys
toys, with debt to boot. Insiders question if the
debt could be handled, and worked into a deal, in
the current financial market (which is close to terminal...
stuffed, despite Prime Minster Kevin Rudd and Treasure
Wayne Swan defending Australia's financial position).
Red
tape, paperwork and legal eagles would have a field
day should a pro active deal get on the way, and that's
before any more regulatory changes take place.
Industry
analyst's advise consent would need to be required
from five state governments and about a bakers dozen
of regulators.
As
they say, never say never, but don't hold your breath.
To
wrap up on a positive note, both Crown and Tabcorp
are "swimming, not drowning", as is Not
the case for much of the world's gaming and casino
industry, with Las Vegas and Atlantic City suffering
much of of the fallout.
Crown
and Star are also adapting to the new media - internet
landscape, and are plugging into the exciting and
headline grabbing mainstream entertainment industry,
to which will help lure in the masses who can afford
to pay for quality entertainment, be it KISS, Kylie,
Elton John, WWE, UFC, Dita Von Teese or other.
Australia
may be known for 'Underbelly', but Crown and TAB are
no mugs nor small time crooks. Smart operators they
are, and they can afford to play the game and launch
heavy fire when the time is right. You can bet that
Gambling911 and Media Man will be there when heavy
ammunition in unleashed. How friendly things remain
is speculation, but punters, always remember, "A
Friend In Need Is A Pest"... just kidding, "A
Friend Indeed" or in debt!
Gambling911
and Media Man remind readers to bet with your head,
not over it, and have fun.
*Greg
Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media
Man http://www.mediamanint.com
is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal
development company.
*The
writer owns shares in Crown Limited and Virgin and
is a pro active member of Virgin Unite
News
Australian
Logie Awards Update, by Greg Tingle - 2nd May 2010
Tonight's
the night...
The
52nd annual Logie Awards. Australia is a buzz with
what shows and celebs will win.
Gold
Logie predictions for Rebecca Gibney, playing Julie
Rafter in Seven's Packed to the Rafters.
Ray
Meagher (Home and Away) and Rove McManus a wild cards.
The
eight Gold Logie nominees have been the talk of the
town in cafes, internet social networking and on-air
calls for votes through the SMS voting system!
Centrebet
on Friday had Gibney and Meagher as most likely to
win, at $1.50 and $1.85 respectively. Rove was tipped
at $26, Adam Hills $51. Go Adam!
Channel
Seven's Home and Away has 13 nominations in various
categories. Network Nine also has lucky 13 in the
running.
Media
Man tips at least a few awards for Nine's Underbelly,
given Australia's fascination with crime, and we were
settled by convicts right, so its in the blood.
Network
Nine ratings are sure to be a winner, as are Crown
Casino coffers. Tune in at 7.30pm as host Bert "Moonface"
Newton prepares to entertain us to the nines.
*The
writer owns shares in Crown Limited
*Media
Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet
portal development company
Crown
Casino To Show Off Underbelly At Logie Awards, by
Greg Tingle - 1st April 2010
Australia's
tourism and entertainment icon, Crown Casino, gets
to show of its wares on a national and international
scale this coming Sunday night, with the TV smash
hit 'Underbelly' in line for a number of awards. Folks,
this event is all about entertainment, not table games,
slots or the bottom line, or at least that's the official
world. Mind you, someone has to put the 'Business'
in show business, and Crown continues to deliver the
goods, year after year.
Media
Man and Gambling911 have been hitting the phones and
pounding the pavement in order to work out who the
smart money is on.
Casino
tycoon, James Packer, owner of Crown, enjoys a long
and largely very positive history with both Network
Nine's David Gyngell, and print press publication,
ACP Magazines, not that we are suggesting that would
be instrumental in who gets gold, silver or a donut
(0).
James
Packer owned Crown Casino in Melbourne, will be host
to the 2010 Logie Awards on Sunday 2nd May.
'Underbelly',
which frequently features gambling (illegal dens in
most cases), has been nominated for a modest bush
tucker bag full of awards. The list, correct at time
of publication:
Asher
Keddie (Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities), broadcast
on Network Nine is up for the Outstanding Actress
award.
Anna
Hutchison, Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities is nominated
for the Graham Kennedy Award for Outstanding New Talent.
'Underbelly'
is also up for the Most Popular Drama award.
Last
Word
Bouncers
and security...a number of football and cricket stars
will be present, many of which are known to get a
bit boisterous when on the grog. Please don't bring
out the plastic handcuffs, unless absolutely necessary.
Mind you, it would make bloody good television and
provide plenty of fodder for paparazzi attending the
gala affair. Celebs, sportsmen... you've been forewarned.
Bert
Newton is hosting this year, being seen by the powers
that be as a safe bet. Meantime, Bert's son, Matthew,
has recently booked himself into rehab, in a step
we applaud. Newton Jr played Terry 'Mr Asia' Clark
in 'Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities'.
Our
loyal and worldwide readership is looking forward
to the goss following the event, so have a couple
of drinks on us, but don't overdo it either. Drink
too much... just slip on over to Crown Towers or Crown
Metropol. They will be happy to look after you, for
a price.
*The
writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media
Man http://www.mediamanint.com
is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal
development company
*The
writer owns shares in Crown Limited
Crown
Casino Aussie Millions Poker Championship kicks off,
by Greg Tingle - 16th January 2010
Melbourne,
if not the whole of Australia, has poker fever, thanks
to casino king James Packer's brainchild, "Aussie
Millions".
Media
Man long time friend, associate and eyes and ears
of the industry, Keith "Bendigo" Sloan,
tipped us off that it would be huge and he was right
on the money.
Let's
start with some big picture stuff.... poker has been
widely acknowledged in a court of law as primarily
a game of skill. Sure, there's some luck involved,
but over time on measured tests, the skill factor
comes through. This is a key point in some of the
arguments put forward by the Poker Players Alliance.
Folks, professional poker is big business and is also
a form of sports tourism, something that's been picked
up on by the Victorian government, but something Australia's
Labor government is still trying to grasp. Maybe it
will be covered in the Aussie version of "Casino
Jack"!
Let
it be said from the get-go that Crown's Aussie Millions
gives some much needed balance into the news media
coverage of Australia's casino sector, which has been
copping a bit of a battering of late. Crown's connection
with tourism, sports tourism and high rollers is undisputed,
and the powers that be at Crown do give back to society
in a number of capacities, some of which is reported
and other elements that are done on the quite. It
was impossible to miss Warnie and Joe Hachem on Network
Ten's 7PM project last month.
It's
a given that when so many whales, high rollers and
the like are in town, there's vast financial resources
not far from the felt.
The
Salvation Army and Unicef are just a couple of worthy
causes that Crown and the powers that be have assisted
over the years.
This
year sees a reported 1,143 entrants have a punt at
Aussie Millions...a record for major poker tournaments
in Australia.
A
$1,143,000 prize pool will be split amongst the top
108 players, with first place set to collect the first
Aussie Millions Gold Championship Ring over $200,000
in cash.
Numerous
big names were in attendance for day one including
Tony G, Clonie Gowen, Sorel Mizzi, David Saab, Jason
Gray, Paul Khoury, Kenneth Damm and 2005 WSOP Champ
Joe Hachem. Players who returned to the felt for a
second chance included Tony Dunst , Emad Tahtouh,
Billy Argyros, Lee Nelson, Josh Field, Ben Delaney,
Andrew Jeffreys, Leo Boxell, Amanda De Cesare, Tino
Lechich, James Akenhead and 2009 Aussie Millions Champion
(and PartyPoker sponsored) Stewart Scott.
Nick
Haidaris has emerged with the chip lead of 165,300.
Eighty-three players remained from Day 1's starting
field. Those back for Day 2 include David Saab, JP
Kelly, Antonis Kambouroglou, Brendan Edmonds, Con
Tsapkounis, and Jim Sachinidis.
Players
not back for day 2 include Tony Dunst, 2009 Aussie
Millions Main Event Champ Stewart Scott, Emad Tahtouh,
Barny Boatman, Matthew Pearson, Rayan Nathan, Joe
Hachem, Tony G, Lee Nelson, Billy Argyros, Jonathan
Karamalikis, Michael Guzzardi, James Akenhead, Ben
Delaney, and Sorel Mizzi.
Day
2 at Crown Casino kicks off at 12:30 p.m where approximately
200 players will be giving it all they have in their
quest for the championship.
Media
Man encourages players (and management) on a winning
streak to continue to give back to society, and of
course the world is aware of those less fortunate
including in Haiti which was recently rocked by an
earthquake. Casinos and big gaming companies have
much bigger resources than most, so let's see if they
can even come close to helping to the extent that
they did when the Aussie Victorian bushfires hit last
March.
*The
writer holds shares in Crown Limited
*The writer is the founder and director of Media
Man
*The writer is a special contributor for Gambling911
Welcome to the unforgettable and extraordinary world
that is Crown. With its unique combination of luxury,
warm service, exciting elegance and non-stop spectacle,
Crown offers you an experience that will linger in
your mind forever.
Whether
you want to be dazzled by the fire displays on Crown's
riverside or pampered in the luxurious Crown Spa,
this is truly a place to meet your every need and
match your every mood..
The
thrill of the gaming floor, the glamour of the nightlife,
the sumptuous dining, the remarkable shopping, the
stylish accommodation and the friendly service come
together at Crown to create the world's most exciting
entertainment experience. (Credit:
Crown Casino).
Profile
Crown
Casino and Entertainment Complex is a casino and entertainment
precinct on the south bank of the Yarra River, in
Melbourne, Australia attracting on average 16 million
visitors yearly, making it the largest casino in Australia.
Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited.
The complex was designed by multiple architects including
award winning Daryl Jackson and opened in 1997. The
complex is one of the central features of the Southbank
area in the central business district and the Crown
Promenade fronts onto the waterfront as part of Southbank
Promenade. Children under 18 are permitted into the
entertainment section of Crown but not into the gaming
area or areas serving alcohol.
Casino
Crown
Casino opened in 1994 at the World Trade Centre on
the north bank of the Yarra River, moving to the new
complex at Southbank in 1997. Actress Rachel Griffiths
infamously ran through the casino topless on its opening
night. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except
on Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day. On these
days Crown is closed from 4am and reopens 12 noon.
It was originally founded, owned and run by Lloyd
Williams until the Packer takeover by PBL in 1999.
Crown Casino is the largest casino in the southern
hemisphere, has a license for 350 table games and
2500 poker machines.
Games
Amongst other games, Crown provides the 6 main casino
games of Blackjack, Craps, Pai Gow, Poker, Baccarat
and Roulette but it was also the founder of an electronic
version of Roulette known as Rapid Roulette. Rapid
Roulette is essentially the same as traditional roulette
but rather than players placing bets on a layout,
all gaming takes place on a personal electronic touch
screen connected to a central roulette wheel. The
benefit of this is that the player has easy access
to the entire betting layout, and due to the electronic
nature of the game, it is both fast and accurate.
Rapid Roulette has been in use for several years,
and recently Rapid Bigwheel and Rapid Sic-bo have
been developed.
As well as Caribbean Stud Poker on the main gaming
floor, Crown has also long offered varieties of poker
including Texas Hold'em. The Crown Poker Room has
recently grown with the increased popularity of poker
and now encompasses a large separate space in the
Crown basement known as the Poker Room.
Crown casino has 2500 poker machines on the casino
floor, with values of 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent,
20 Cent, 50 cent and 1 dollar available for patrons
to play. The slot machines at Crown are made by Aristocrat,
VLC, AGT, IGT, Konami and Stargames, with 2 Dollar
machines being introduced into the VIP area.
Rewards
programs
The Crown Casino have a rewards program called "Crown
Club" where by playing both poker machines and
table games earn the player points on the card for
credit or other bonuses.
Entertainment
complex
The
Crown Entertainment Complex incorporates several nightclubs,
a Village Cinema complex and multiple restaurants,
fast food outlets, food courts and shops. The complex
also houses "Galactic Circus", an electronic
games arcade, laser 'tag' game and bowling alley.
Notable features of the casino include its colourful
entrance (commonly known as the 'Atrium', featuring
stepped fountains and sound/light shows under the
themes of the four seasons), and pyrotechnic towers
running the length of the Casino promenade. Many luxury
branded stores such as:
Prada
Burberry
Louis Vuitton
Versace
Hotels
The
two hotel towers are named Crown Towers Hotel and
Crown Promenade Hotel. The Crown Towers Hotel opened
with the complex and is the most luxurious of the
pair, located on the banks of the Yarra River overlooking
the city centre, Kings Domain, Port Phillip and Docklands.
A speciality area called the Crystal Club Lounge is
available to people who stay in some of the more expensive
suites at the Hotel.
The Crown Promenade Hotel is located on Whiteman Street.
A third hotel is under construction being built at
the corner of Whiteman and Clarendon Streets, Southbank.
The new, as yet unnamed hotel will feature similar
facilities to Crown Promenade Hotel.
The
Palladium Room
The
Palladium at Crown is Melbourne's grandest ballroom,
with a seating capacity of 1,500 it has played host
to some of Australia's premier functions including
the annual TV Week Logie Awards, Brownlow Medal, Allan
Border Medal and the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix
ball. It also hosted a few weddings in 2008.
Blackout
On
Friday January 30 2009 The crown casino and entertainment
complex was evacuated due to a blackout as a result
of a 3 day heatwave. 1,200 were evacuated from the
gaming floor as well as many other from the complexes
shops and restaurants. The blackout lasted from 6:30pm
till about midnight. Gamers were refunded cash which
they had entered into poker machine before the blackout
in the following days. (Credit:
Wikipedia)
Website
Crown
Casino
Profiles
James
Packer Casinos Crown
Poker Aussie
Millions
Melbourne
Gaming
Australian
Casinos
News
Casino
News
Articles
James
Packer Scraps Cannery Casino Resorts Crown Casino
Deal - 13th March 2009
My
Thoughts on Casino Mogul James Packer, by Greg Tingle
- 7th March 2009
James
Packer, Crown Casino Help With Australia Fires
Burswood
and Crown unite to support bushfire tragedy - February
2009
Pamela
Anderson May Play in Aussie Millions, by Brett Collson
- 5th January 2009
Crown
Macau Officially Opened by James Packer
Blog
Crown
Casino News Blog
Crown
Limited was formed on December 17, 2007 when Publishing
and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) split into two new
companies. Crown Limited acquired all of the gaming
interests while Consolidated Media Holdings, the renamed
PBL retained all of the remaining assets.
Media Man Australia does not represent Crown Casino
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